Chemical weapons were “probably used” at five out of seven sites in Syria, UN investigators say in their report. In two cases, the weapons targeted soldiers, and in a third, soldiers and civilians, the report says. The report has not determined whether the government or rebels had used the weapons. The inspectors had already confirmed the deadly nerve gas sarin was used in an attack near Damascus on 21 August which killed hundreds. The report said it had evidence that chemical weapons in Ghouta, Khan al-Assal, Jobar, Saraqueb and Ashrafieh Sahnaya. However, the inspectors said they could not corroborate their use…

– North Korea said on Friday Jang Song Thaek, the uncle of leader Kim Jong Un and previously considered the second most powerful man in the secretive state, has been executed after a special military tribunal found him guilty of treason. “The accused Jang brought together undesirable forces and formed a faction as the boss of a modern day factional group for a long time and thus committed such hideous crime as attempting to overthrow the state,” the North’s official KCNA news agency said. Earlier this week the North stripped Jang of all posts, accusing him of criminal acts including mismanagement of…

– China’s capital Beijing, regularly shrouded in hazardous air pollution, plans to replace its oil-burning buses with greener models by 2017 to help clear the smog, state news agency Xinhua said. Nearly 14,000 new buses powered by electricity or natural gas will be bought to replace two-thirds of Beijing’s bus fleet and halve carbon emissions, Xinhua said on Thursday, citing the city’s environment and transportation authorities. Air pollution in Beijing hit unprecedented levels in January when an index measuring particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) shot up to a staggering 755 – 38 times the level recommended…

A French Riviera cafe has created a stir on social media by rewarding its customers for good manners. At the Petite Syrah in Nice on the Cote d’Azur a cup of coffee becomes cheaper by adding a simple “Hello” and “please” when ordering. A blackboard outside the cafe advertises “Un cafe” for seven euros (£5.90; $9.6) – but “Bonjour, un cafe, s’il vous plait” costs just 1.40 euros. Owner Fabrice Pepino says it started as joke but his clients now smile more. A picture of the menu tweeted by a local journalist has gone viral. So far, the story on…